The Northman: Full Cast Revealed, Filming Resumes. By Erin Brady.
One of the numerous productions that have had their filmings delayed was American horror auteur Robert Eggers’ third film, ‘The Northman.’ However, filming has now officially resumed in Ireland after its production was shut down in March.
Although much of the plot is still under wraps, ‘The Northman’ is being described as a Viking revenge thriller set in 10th Century Iceland.
On August 19th, it was confirmed that ‘The Northman’ has resumed production, along with a somewhat-official cast reveal. Eric Higgins, best known for his role on History Channel’s famous show ‘Vikings,’ not only revealed his involvement in the film via an Instagram Stories post, but he also revealed some of the famous names confirmed to star in the historical epic.
Among the actor headshots featured in Higgins’ Instagram post are Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgård, who were previously confirmed to star in the film this past October. However, a number of new actors were also confirmed to star in Eggers’ film.
One of these is actress Kate Dickie, reuniting with Eggers after portraying the doomed mother Katherine in his directorial debut ‘The Witch.’ The film will also have her share the screen with her ‘Witch’ character’s daughter Anya Taylor Joy, who among Kidman and Skarsgård was confirmed to star in the film in October.
However, arguably the most intriguing development is arguably Icelandic singer Björk’s newly-confirmed casting. Set to be her first theatrical acting role in nearly 20 years, she was rumored to be in talks in October, but now her involvement is officially confirmed. The acclaimed singer-songwriter will be playing a witch in the film.
As filming resumes on ‘The Northman,’ expect more surprises and developments to arise.
Ahead of Horror Channel’s UK TV premiere of Julian Richards’ REBORN, on Sat 22 August, actress, producer and genre icon Barbara Crampton reflects on how You’re Next changed the direction of her career, the joy of discovering new talent and the possibility of directing one day…
Talk about art imitating real life! REBORN is about a B-Movie actress trying to get back in the game after a career rough patch. Is that what you responded to in the script?
That was certainly something I could relate to. As I hit my late 30’s, jobs started to dry up and the phone didn’t ring as often. I was married around that time and my husband convinced me to move to San Francisco as he was being transferred with his work. I honestly thought I was leaving Hollywood and the film business behind. I wasn’t sad as much as I looked forward to a new adventure with my husband and hoping for the children who came very quickly. I felt that perhaps I had already made my mark in RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND and that would be that. About six years later, I received a call out of the blue to appear as the mom in YOU’RE NEXT. I did it as a lark, for fun, not knowing the filmmakers or their wild talent and not realizing the new path that special film would put me on. I feel like my character in REBORN was ME hoping to get a part for many years and then being fortunate enough to be offered a stellar film like YOU”RE NEXT. That would be akin to the role my character In REBORN receives from Peter Bogdanovich. So in reality, what happens to Lena in the film happened to me.
Although director Julian Richards had you in mind for the part of Lena O’Neill early on, you were actually cast right at the very last minute. Was that jumping in with virtually no time to prepare a difficult challenge?
Another wonderful actress was cast before me even though Julian had me in mind at the outset. Sometimes casting takes place by committee and not everyone gets their first pick. The other gal wasn’t able to do the part after all and so I was called in with about 48 hours notice. It was a bit harrowing. I read the script once, packed up my car and drove down to LA within 24 hours. I knew many of the people on the film so I really leaned in for advice from our DP Brian Sowell, who also worked on BEYOND THE GATES, Michael Pare who I’d worked on PUPPET MASTER: The Littliest Reich with and the effervescent Rae Dawn Chong, whom I didn’t know, but became a close and trusted ally on set. Julian And I know each other well and he trusted me and I appreciated his gentle care in guiding me along on the role. We filmed many scenes in Brian Yuzna’s house, which doubled for my character’s residence and it was warm and welcoming to see him shuffling about in his slippers during our filming.
CARRIE and FRANKENSTEIN are the obvious inspirations for REBORN. Did you see any other resonances in the script you wanted to draw attention to?
As far as the character of Tess is concerned those two films are apt references. For me and from the perspective of my character, the film is about regret and second chances and what gets in your way, if you let it. Lena is held back by something in her past. She’s haunted by the death of her daughter and she just can’t move forward. She’s stuck both in both her head and heart. I actually looked at REBECCA 1940, as the leading character played by Joan Fontaine is stuck by the overwhelming shadow of her new husband’s deceased wife. I also used aspects of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey is so consumed by his life, he can’t see the goodness of what’s right in front of him. Of course I always use myself. How would I feel if I were in the same circumstances as my character? My own children mean the world to me and if I’d lost one…. That thought are pretty devastating.
Barbara Crampton in REBORN
You shot a lot of the movie in Brian Yuzna’s house, the producer of your horror breakthrough REANIMATOR. Did you ask him for that favour? Are all the framed movie posters a fixture in his house or just there to help your character’s back-story?
I believe John Penny, our producer, asked Brian if we could use his house. It’s right off Hollywood Boulevard and it has a lot of old world charm and glamour. Perfect for Lena’s house. Pretty much all the posters you see on the wall belong to Brian and some of the items reflect movies we’ve done together so it was perfect!
What an incredible cast, some you worked with before; Chaz Bono, Michael Pare (PUPPETMASTER: THE THIRD REICH, Rae Dawn Chong, Monte Markham (WE ARE STILL HERE) and more! Is a prior connection a blessing or a curse?
It’s always a blessing unless you didn’t get along with someone! I started my career working with Jeffrey Combs, made 4 projects with him. The familiarity you have with someone always bleeds into the work and there’s a comfort, especially on indie horror where you’re working very quickly. I very much enjoy working with people I know and trust. It was a joy to work with the legend Monte Markham once more. Meeting Chaz Bono was fun, as he is so excited and passionate about the work, although we didn’t have any scenes together. I do love working with new people as well. I feel like I learn something from just about everyone I work with and I am able to collect may new friends along the way.
Did you ever expect to get so busy post YOU’RE NEXT?
No! I thought it would be just a brief return to acting and that would be that. Yet, I had such a great time performing again, I knew I had to return to working if I could. I actively sought out more roles, hired a manager and became reacquainted with my agent. After I did SUNCHOKE, ROAD GAMES and WE ARE STILL HERE, I felt like people knew me again, that I was serious and committed to a second round of my career. People then started to call me. In the last few years, I’ve also been working as a producer and I can easily say I’m more excited about this business than ever! I don’t intend to slow down.
Your career resurgence has been one of the greatest and most gratifying aspects of the current genre scene. What do you see as the main differences between working with Stuart Gordon etc in the 1980s heyday as opposed to now?
There’s more being made. It’s wider field and the kids today know more about all aspects of film making then in the 80’s We all stayed in our lanes then: Director, actor, producer. But many wear more than one hat today and it’s easier and more accessible to be able to go out and make something without a studio. The emergence of smaller film festivals has allowed new filmmakers to find an outlet for their art to be showcased and network with other like-minded creatives. A young filmmaker can get noticed and make a name for themselves through these fests. Hopefully they can parlay that into working on bigger material.
Is directing something you would like to try? If so, what sort of horror subject would attract you the most?
You really need to make a commitment to one project for at least a whole year and while the idea is intriguing to me to direct, I have so many other projects I’m developing as a producer and have the occasional acting gig and so it would be hard to fit in directing a feature. However, I would love to direct a short and I’m keeping my eye out for material for that possibility.
As the First Lady of FrightFest, what value do you see in the global genre festival circuit of which you have become so much a beloved part?
These fests are the lifeblood of independent genre cinema. All these global fests and the talented programmers who run them are like grand hosts who introduce the world to fresh and new voices. They are the biggest champions to new filmmakers, many of whom prove themselves to be so gifted, they are invited back again and again. Without them, how who we meet these new talents? The audiences love to watch new films and studios and distributors send scouts to check out emerging talent at film fests across the globe. Also, I am able to meet many genre loving and passionate cinephiles and the fest circuit is really so much fun! Movies, panels, karaoke, contests, celebrations!
Finally, what’s next for you?
I produced and starred in JAKOB’S WIFE, which we finished filming right before the covid-19 shutdown. We are currently in post and it will be available sometime in 2021. I’m working hard on developing three other features and one TV show. Hope to see you all again soon in the flesh with hugs and love…
REBORN is broadcast on Horror Channel, Saturday 22 August @ 21:00
Whether its countless delays or a star’s controversial actions, some projects get lost in the anvils of time. Disney’s latest Magic Camp falls into both categories, finally seeing the light of day over two years after its initial release date (Jeffery Tambor’s presence likely played a factor). Unceremoniously dumped onto Disney+, this semi-pleasant title is, for better or worse, an ideal fit as a disposable streaming release.
Magic Camp follows Andy (Adam Devine), a down-on-his-luck former magician who lives in the shadows of his old partner Kristina Darkwood (Gillian Jacobs). In an attempt to regain momentum for his career, Andy returns to his former stomping grounds the Institue of Magic. Along with competing with Kristiana, Andy begins to form bonds with his outcast students, including Theo (Nathaniel McIntyre), a talented young magician looking to find himself after his father’s passing.
Unlike the seriously foul Artemis Fowl, Magic Camp isn’t the outright disaster that its tenuous release would leave you to believe. Adam Devine proves his worth as an affable leading man, dialing back his bold comedic energy soundly while carrying some of the film’s sensitive portions. The young stars, especially Nathaniel McIntyre, are above the standard norms of child actors, coloring their archetype roles without being overly-cutesy. There are also some surprisingly clever jokes scattered throughout, with the script occasionally utilizing its familiar “summer camp” set-up to poke fun through its magic-based lens (I loved the hawk named Ethan Hawke).
Occasionally is the operative word though, as most of the screenplay is stuck in the doldrums of its conventional framework. Cobbled together by six writers, Magic Camp lacks any deviations from your standard family affair, masking its shades of self-awareness with a heaping of tired cliches. Whether its the outcast kids battling the elite bullies or the protagonist child dealing with the passing of his dad (seriously Disney, why so many dead dads), audiences are likely to be hit by a wave of deja vu throughout the film. It’s also a pity to watch talented supporting players straddled with thankless roles, with this likely being a forgotten paycheck for Gillian Jacobs and Aldis Hodge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAmcupYhwKA
The lingering sense of familiarity could be forgiven if there was a semblance of personality on display, yet Magic Camp encapsulates a bland flavor throughout. Mark Waters directs the film on autopilot, never finding a lively way to engage with the film’s magical set-up or well-suited cast. Matching these flat visuals, the character work is defined by simplistic traits, drowning any emotional moments in a mawkish array of score and heavy-handedness. There seems to be a nucleus of fun buried beneath the blandness, although Disney seems more interested in filling their quota of marketable family products.
Equally inoffensive and unremarkable, Magic Camp is likely to vanish amongst the plethora of superior Disney+ titles.
Prospering from the massive success of Netflix’s Stranger Things, our culture has been surfing on an enduring 1980s nostalgia wave. This pastiche has generated a few pleasurable homages (Turbo Kid and It) as well as a fair share of derivative stinkers (The Babysitter and Summer of 84). The latest low-budget revival Max Reload and The Nether Blasters lands in a murky middle ground, never quite innovating its well-intended approach.
Max Reload and The Nether Blasters follows Max (Tom Plumley), a confident gamer who spends his days questing and working alongside his friends Liz (Hassie Harrison) and Reggie (Joey Morgan). Their ordinary lives are flipped upside down when Max discovers a copy of a lost entry in the Nether Gameseries, sparking a malevolent entity that wreaks havoc on their town. Alongside the game’s storied developers Eugene (Greg Grunberg) and Bart (Joseph Reitman), the five-team up to save the world.
Where some projects have the pretensions of becoming something grand, Max Reload differs by bringing a refreshing level of self-awareness to the table. Indie directors Jeremy Tremp and Scott Conditt maximize their low-budget assets with some cheekily designed VFX work, incorporating several clever 80s throwbacks with their lo-fi style and integration of two-bit animated sequences. Their efforts admirably harken to a finite period of 80s culture where heady RPGs generated fervent word of mouth from their dedicated fanbase. Tremp and Conditt’s nostalgic adoration creates some moments of infectious glee, especially with a few well-placed celebrity performances that deliver much-needed levity (Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg are clearly having a blast).
Max Reload is too earnest to condemn, yet this spirited effort can’t escape its lingering sense of familiarity. Conditt and Tremp jam-pack each frame with obscure references and immersive details, thoughtfully-constructed elements that can’t quite compensate for their flatlined screenplay. The story is as routine as it gets, resting on the laurels of dated cliches that are starting to show their age (the high-concept premise is thinly-constructed while the character work never renders substantive dynamics from its archetype personas). Numerous attempts at humor land with lackluster results, as several jokes come off as overwritten in their referential construction.
Even as a dedicated fan of video games storied history (still dust off my old NES from time to time), I never found myself engulfed by Max Reload’s love letter to its distinct era. The film is often noisy and fast-paced, with this frantic energy deterring any attempts to unearth a warmly nostalgic throughline from its narrative. Conditt and Tremp’s may display filmmaking ingenuity throughout, but their efforts never escape the shadow of its superior counterparts.
Max Reload and the Nether Blasters‘ good-hearted nature can’t equate to a satisfying low-rent 80s homage.
Flash! Aha! It’s a landmark fifth week at Number 1 for Trolls World Tour as it finishes ahead of its closest competition by 7,700 sales, extended its reign as the longest standing Number 1 of 2020 so far.
The week’s highest new entry, 1980 sci-fi classic Flash Gordon debuts at Number 2 following a 40th anniversary reissue and its return to cinema screens.
Famously featuring a soundtrack written, produced and performed by Queen, Flash Gordon tells the story of the eponymous American football hero (played by Sam J. Jones) who sets off to the planet Mongo to fight tyrannical emperor Ming the Merciless, who is intent on destroying the earth.
Onward drops to 3 as Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi comes in at Number 4 following the release of its limited edition SteelBook, the latest in a line of Star Wars Steelbooks being released weekly.
Meanwhile, 1917 rises four to Number 5, biographical drama Le Mans ’66 zooms up 20 places to Number 6, Sonic The Hedgehogholds at Number 7, Jumanji: The Next Level falls to 8 and Dolittle returns after climbing five spots to Number 9. Rounding off the countdown, Spies in Disguise tumbles to Number 10.
Elsewhere in the Top 20, 1989 comedy classic Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure enters for the first time at Number 17. The much-loved film starring Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves enjoys a reissue on 4K just ahead of the long awaited third film in the series, Bill & Ted Face The Music, which is scheduled for release later this year.
This week’s Official Film Chart features a sneak peek of sci-fi classic The Fifth Element starring Bruce Willis & Gary Oldman. The film is getting a re-release in a 4K format and is available to buy across disc & digital from August 24.
